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It started with interest, just like how things usually start.
Even before becoming the student council president, Phainon had always known of the existence of a mint-haired boy sitting next to him at the left front of the classroom next to the window. Anaxagoras is his name. Phainon had known of this classmate of his, due to their teachers constantly reprimanding the other for being glued to his phone instead of the lesson. And it wasn't as if he was blind to the vibrant phone screen under the desk, nor was he deaf to the sound effects emitting from the phone if it wasn't connected to his headphones via bluetooth.
It's also impossible to not know him, when his name had been at the top of the student rankings twice in a row within just this year, despite never showing much effort in his studies. Anaxa isn't actually a slacker in class. Indeed, his eyes are always stuck to that screen, but he listens well when the teacher is explaining a concept in front, he gets his assignments done quickly, and he isn't a dead weight when it comes to group projects.
So why had many loathed Anaxa?
Anaxa doesn't talk much unless absolutely neccessary, but his tongue was sharp enough to kill. His words were fearless and laced with reasoning and logic. There's a reason he's on the debate team, after all. If you weren't Phainon, going against Anaxa in a debate was akin to fighting a fire-breathing dragon with zero chances of survival.
Phainon got to witness those words tear apart an argument personally.
It was supposed to be a light debate—merely for a philosophy assignment—in the auditorium; only their class being present. The topic had been regarding whether the existence of gods is true or nothing more than a falsehood.
The odds hadn't seemed very fair at the time—most had chosen to be on the proposition, as Amphoreus Academy was famous for its large religious student body.
Phainon was one of them, though he wasn't much of a religious person himself. The existence of gods was something he believed was real, whether they actually took part in the creation, running, and end of this world—it wasn't something he bothered himself with.
Anaxa, he had noted, chose the opposition side—a side with barely anyone there—without so much as blinking. The opposition side's members, all joined with heavy reluctance (which seemed fair; if you were a believer in the existence of gods, it would be very difficult to advocate for its disproval).
"I know the odds may seem to favour one side more," their professor had smiled. "But this is just a small assignment we will be doing, as we don't have anything we need to catch up on. I'll be grading this by group for your project."
And so the debate had begun. It wasn't intense, initially, considering the majority of the class had honestly long decided on the outcome. Phainon brought up the ancient text of Amphoreus where they had long believed the gods existed due to the occurring phenomenons. Everyone had appeared to want nothing more than for the lesson to end.
Until Anaxa spoke.
"A very sound argument indeed." he stood up, staring at the notes in his hands. "But your argument isn't necessarily correct."
Everyone stared at him in shock. The source merely continued as if he was commenting on the weather.
"Your logic uses the evidence of ancient texts of Amphoreus, however there is a circulating belief recently how the Aeons are nothing more than natural phenomenons, similar to wind, thunder, fire, and lightning, for their evidence of their 'existence' in history has been found to mirror these phenomenons.
"The Mara Strike in the Xianzhou thought to be from the Aeon of Abundance?" In a dramatic fashion, he dropped the papers he had been holding and let them fall to the wooden surface of the table, basking himself in the attention. "Scientists have found that remnants of the Ambrosial Arbor's fruit in the victims' digestive systems—a fruit whose chemicals are able to attack the central nervous system, which in turn in the most severe cases, will attack the physical state too.
"So tell me," they locked eyes. Anaxa tilted his head, as if challenging the other. "Is this truly evidence of the Aeons' existence?"
Even the professor stopped writing his commentary. Everyone scrutinised the mint-haired boy in shock, awe, and distaste. The silence was deafening, no one could possibly counter an argument like that.
Anaxa stood tall and held his gaze firmly, never once wavering.
Phainon smiled.
Yes. This, this was exactly what he was looking for.
"You make some very good points indeed." Heads snapped towards Phainon at such speed. "But if the Aeons really do not exist, then that doesn't explain how things exist now."
His smile widened. "Like Ambrosial Arbor—where did it come from?
"Because as far as I recall, there was no implication in any old Xianzhou texts regarding how it came to be—just been there along."
Unlike the silent response to Anaxa's rebuttal, Phainon's came with murmurs and whispers. Some, he could make out, sounded relieved, at the parry.
Anaxa didn't react outwardly. His expression didn't change, neither did his posture. His gaze remained firm, as if assessing Phainon and going through the possible ends to this in his head.
Anaxa took a deep breath.
"Information regarding the past is very susceptible to being twisted or forgotten over time, and you are assuming that the Xianzhou natives have always been able to record their historical events from the beginning."
"But written evidence states that the tree hadn't existed before."
"Indeed, but I have stated earlier how information may be lost to time, and there is no guarantee the authors were in the vicinity, hence why there might be no information prior."
"That much about history in general is undeniable, but the concept of Aeons have been shared not just among a small group of people. The human mind is only able to come up with concepts only if they are exposed to something similar that could trigger that thought."
With each argument, came a counter from the other. The rest of the class were forgotten, merely background noises like the spectators of a sports match.
They hadn't even realised the bell had rung, until the professor cleared his throat.
"Well, I'd hate to interrupt the flow," he said slowly; both Phainon and Anaxa glanced at him in unison. "But the bell has rung, so this class is now dismissed."
Exhales of relief filled the class—not just from the anticipation of the lesson's end , but the long-awaited escape from the tense debate—as students packed up their belongings; some almost sprinted out of the class—no doubt about to tell their friends about what had gone down. Even the professor left as quick as he could after hesitantly collecting his possessions.
Phainon couldn't bring himself to care. He watched Anaxa sigh, before beginning to pack up too, making no move himself to do the same.
"Anaxa."
Anaxa showed no indication to have heard him, so Phainon was about to call out again—
"It's Anaxagoras."
A shaky exhale escaped from Phainon. "Anaxagoras."
The other's eyes finally met his, causing Phainon's heart to jump. His hand casually rests on the strap of the messenger bag on his shoulder; his posture directed to the door, signalling his inevitable leave. Oh, how Phainon didn't want that.
Phainon took a step forward, as confidently as he could, and extended his hand.
"Thank you for the engaging debate, I hope to continue it again soon. Or do it again."
Anaxa stared. Phainon wanted to squirm, but he held his ground.
Then he heard a huff. Before he knew it, Anaxa walked over.
"For someone who doesn't actually place much emphasis on the gods," Anaxa stopped in front of him. "You argued well. That was quite fun."
He clasped the outstretched hand.
"I will ensure the next one ends with my victory."
Phainon froze, yet it didn't take long for a huge grin to spread on Phainon's face as he wrapped his fingers around Anaxa's palm.
“I’d like to see you try!”
The action was met with a very small smile from Anaxa, before he pulled away. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants, Phainon found himself disappointed at the warmth’s loss and longing for the physical contact once more.
Just as Anaxa was about to leave through the door, he tilted his head back with a wave.
"See you, Phainon."
And just like that, he vanished.
His exhale came out as shaky for no apparent reason. Dumbfounded, Phainon stared after the space where Anaxa had been. Then once again, a huge dopey grin crept up his face again.
That marks the moment Phainon started chasing after the other.